The new Omega De Ville Trèsor is the very high-end at Omega‘s and the standard bearer renewing a collection that needed it most. It was also, in my opinion, a bit overshadowed by other most sought after Omega‘s collections, although it included amazing timepieces such as the Hour Vision. It nonetheless testifies to Omega‘s savoir-faire for it ideally closes the gap with the forties, an age when the iconic Speedmaster had yet to be conceived while Omega could boast nearly one century of fine watchmaking.
Designers at Bienne have been able to reinterpret an instant classic, such as the round case mechanical three-hands timepiece because making a 40mm wristwatch today is just like participating to the “Olympics of Obviousness” as it is hard to let your creativity work: it has to be thin, with an alligator leather strap, baton indexes and a manual wind caliber inside.
The “Copy and paste” effect looms just around the corner, especially when it comes to brands with a longstanding tradition and featuring very iconic name brands such as Omega. The Trèsor is “wistfully modern” in the same way the new Seamaster 300 is. Its dial is Clous de Paris worked and is peripherally cambered as it is the sapphire crystal that protects it but, at first sight, you may read the lettering Master Co-Axial Chronometer, which classifies this timepiece as COSC certified.
You would have probably got that when talking about Omega, the word “chronometer” is frequent, even on those models that are not as yet equipped with an in-house caliber such as the Mark II or the Seamaster Chrono for example and it is not by chance. Omega does certify almost all its mechanical calibers.
What beats inside the Trèsor is a manufactured movement called 8511 and is the first manual wind caliber following up the new 8500 platform! The choice of a manual wind caliber is more than a surprise and will appeal to enthusiasts and connoisseurs not only for it ensures a smaller case thickness (10,6mm) but it also adds a whole new touch to this watch. It features a diameter that is comparable with the case’s one and contributes to its esthetical appeal.
Caliber 8511 is Omega‘s state-of-the-art in watchmaking: it is fully anti-magnetic, meaning it resists to magnetic fields greater than 15000 Gauss, which truly represents the greatest value machines are able to generate; is equipped with a Si14 balance spring, the latest generation Co-Axial escapement and has a full four year warranty. It also features the “timezone” function, meaning you can set the hour independently from the minute hand, very useful when it comes to travel through the timezones and, I guess, the fast change date as it is with caliber 8500.
As mentioned above the Omega De Ville Trèsor is a step forward in moving Omega upmarket, it is only available in white, yellow or rose Sedna gold. The Sedna gold, if you’re not yet familiar with it, is Omega‘s patented rose gold, an alloy made out of gold, copper and palladium to feature an original color and, as Omega claims, a superior durability.
The gold versions retails for 10.400€, add 800€ for the white gold version. The price point is quite right, I think, as it is on par with a Royal Oak; for example if you’re about to invest money in collecting watches and want to buy one you can easily sell, but…in steel. Then you understand that with the same money you could buy a Trèsor in…gold.
If, vice versa, you look for the same timepieces in the range, 10k€ is what you’re going to pay for an IWC Portuguese manual wind that I do love and is part of a legendary collection, but..again..it’s in steel. In both cases either you’re going for an investment or not, the Trèsor is quite attractive as it features a precious case material, superb finishes, the best technologies and avantgarde all in all. if you decide to buy one, then, the best choice is to go for the Sedna version.
(Photo credit: courtesy of Omega; Horbiter®)
Gaetano C. @Horbiter®
